Pad presses for for wind musical instruments



March 31. 1925.

E. H. BEARDSLEY PAD PRESSES FOR WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Feb. 20.1924 INVENTOR.

BY 13mm? ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

untrue STATES EDXVAB'D H. BEAR-DSILEY, CF E-LKHART, INDIANA.

PAD PRESSES FO'R .VIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,

Application filed February 20, 1924. Serial No. 694,160.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. Bnsnnsnnr, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Elkhart, county of Elkhart, and State of ,Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pad Presses forlVind Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wind musical instruments, and especially toinstruments of the saxophone class in which yieldable valve pads areincorporated.

It is well known-that saxophones have a plurality of valves each ofwhich is provided with a yieldable pad adapted to engage the valve seatwhich encompasses the tone opening in the body of the instrument. It isalso well known that saxophone valves normally are disengaged with thevalve seat and that the valve pad must be brought into engagement withthe valve seat toclose the tone openingin order to produce a tone. Thevalve pad is usually made of felt and kid to seal the tone openingeffectually when the valve is closed, and the sealing etiiciency of theoad is materiall 7 enhanced when the pad is permanently creased orimpressed by the valve seat, which crease can ordinarily be made only byextended use of the instrument. \Vhen the instrument. is not in use andthe valves stand open the kid facing of the valve pad either loses thecrease altogether or becomes wrinkled or puckered to such an extentthat, when the. instrument is again used, the tones-are deficient inquality or volume on account of the air leakage due to the imperfectseal made between the. valve pad and valve seat.

To meet and'overcorne this defect it is necessary to again forma creasein the valve pad and this can be done only by actual use of theinstrument.

The principal object of my invention is to produce a valve pad press tohold the pad against the valve seat when the instrument, of thesaxophone class is not in use,

in order to create a crease or impression in the valve pad or tomaintain one already formed.

Gther and more specific objects of the invention are mentioned andherein.

The preferred embodimeent of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a view of a saxophone fragmentshowing a plurality of described valves confined on their seats by theinvention; Fig. 2 is a transverse view in elevation, partially insection, showing the same elements; Fig. 3 is a slightly modified formof my invention for application to another part of the instrument; Fig.l is a transverse view in elevation, partially in section, showing thesame elements; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a fragment of the bell sectionof a saxophone showing a single valve and another modification of theinvention which is applied thereto to confine the valve on its seat; andFig. 6 is a transverse view of the same members in elevation andpartially in section.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout theseveral. views on the drawing.

Referring to the details of the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates afragment of the tubular main body portion of a saxophone of the usualtype, the numeral 2 indicates afragment of the boiled portion of theinstrument which is connected with body portion 1 by a return bend-notshownas is well known in the art.

A saxophone is provided with a plurality of tone openings of varioussizes which are controlled by spring controlled padded valves whichnormally stand open and are adapted for manipulation to close said toneopenings for thetone. production.

On the drawing, the numerals 3, t and indicate three valves (Figures 1and 2) adapted to close the tone openings 6, T and 8, respectively,formed in the body 1, said valves being mounted for oscillation upon ashaft 9 carried on the instrument in suitable bearings-not shown-whichare well known in the art. Each tone opening is encompassed by thelaterally projecting annular flange 10 which may be integral with body1, or otherwise formed. Each valve 3, 4i and 5 isprovided with a feltpad 5 and each is closed by manipulation of the finger tip ll which isoperatively connected with the shaft 9. Each tone opening 6, Tand S isadapted to be closed and seal d by the yicldable pad 5, usually made offelt and faced with kid, which engages the edge of the tone openingflange 10 and which is impressed thereby. Fig. 2. Adjacent shaft 9 andsubstantially parallel therewith a second valve shaft 12 is mounted forrotation in suitable bearings, whichshaft. controls another valve or setof valvesnot shown-and which may be closed by manipulation of the fingertip or key 13 connected with shaft 12 by the arm 14. At another portionof the instrument the three'padded valves 15, 16 and 17 are located andadapted to close correspond- 7 ing tone openings, each of'which openingsis encompassed by the flange 18 to serve as a seat for thevalve pads. V

The valves 15, 16 and 17 are mounted upon a-rotary shaft 19 carried bythe instrument in suitable bearings-not shown' which shaft is arrangedbetween the in-- strument portions 1 and 2 (Fig. 4) and is .manipulated'in the usual manner to operate valve 16. and connected with said shaftby anarni 41, said shaft 39 being adaptedto close 1 a valve, or valves,not shown 011 the drawing.

The numeral 42indicates a shaft mounted upon the instrumentsubstantially opposite shaft 12 for the actuation of a valvenot shownandwhich is to be used as an anchorage, as hereinafter described.

At a third position on the instrument and adjacent the bend thereof, apaddedvalve 22 is provided andadapted to close the tone opening 23 whenseated upon the annular seat 24, which valve is normally a single unitand may be actuated by an arm 25 connected with a rotary shaftn0tshown-in any suitable manner. On accountof the exposed position. ofthevalve-22 a guard 26 is disto permitthe outward swing thereof whendisengaged with 1ts seat, sald guard serving also 'as a stop for saidvalve, as is .well

to form and maintain a crease. or impresslon 1I1'l3l18 yieldable pad 5which crease can be made only by the edge of the valve.

seat when the valve pad is pressed against 1t. When the lnstrument isnot in use regu larly the valve pad crease disappears or becomesshallow, or the pad kid may wrinkle or warp, whereby the pad becomes aninefiicient sealing element, thereby materially affecting the tonesproduced when the instrument is in use.

My invention contemplates .means for closing the various valves of theinstrument to press the valve pad into close engagement with the valveseat to form a crease or impression in the pad, or to maintain a creasealready formed, thereby insuring the immediate production .of the best.tones when used after extended disuse of the instru- Jment Of t pad p es e n .t Q a e tones. from an instru-, ment of .the saxophone type 1t 18necessary close the valves 3, 4 and 5, and valves 15, 16 and 17respectively, for the purpose de-.

scribed. Each press'element27 and 28'1nay include a" tubular body 29, alateral arm'30 providedwith an integral hook 31, and, opposed to hook31, :a secondhook 32 which is connected with the stub arm 33 by a coilspring 34. Each element 27 and28' may be provided also with the end pads35 and 36 mounted upon the, shaft or arm 37 which is slidably androtatably mounted within the tubular body 29 to enable extensibility andadjustability of said. pads, as-hereinafter described. Each of the tipsor pads 36 and 35 may be provided with a cork face element 38,'securedthereto in any suitable manner,

to prevent abrasion of the valve body when the latter is engagedthereby, as hereinafter V mentioned. 7

The arm 30 of element 27 may have a leaf spring 43' secured on its underside to func-" tion as hereinafter described. A third pad press element44 may be used to engagethe single valve 22 and may comprise a leafspring plate 45 provided with a cupped portion 47 to carry the cork'pad46- centrally of one side thereof, and a. pair ofcork pads 48, 48 atopposite ends of the opposite side of said plate, said corks beingmounted in :cups 49 1'igid with said plate portion. posed-above thevalve and spaced therefrom In operation, element 44 functions as folthepad thereof against the valve seat.

Thereupon, the spring plate 45 is forced beneath the guard 26, wherebypads 48 engage the under side of the guard'26 and pad 46 engages theouter face of the valve 22, thereby resiliently confining the valve padof said valve in close engagement with the valve seat. r

In the application of press element 27 to the instrumentthe hook 31 iscaused to engage beneath the shaft 12to position the arm'30- abovefinger tip 11 and pads 35 and 36in light engagement with finger tip 13and valve 3, respectively, in which relation of the parts the body 29extends across the valve 4 and the spring 43engages and bears againsttip 11. The spring 34 is then extended by drawing the hook 32 downwardinto .enga'gement'with the shaft 42, whereby valves 3, 4 and 5 areseated by direct appli- I cation of the press, and also the valve, or Vvalves, actuated by shaft 12 when the key or tip 13 is depressed by pad35.

In applying press element 28 the hook 31' thereof, which conformsto thecontour of the instrument portion 2, is thrust beneath the latter toplace the pads 35 and 86, in

engagement with the valves and 17, the body portion 29 engaging the key40. Tlhereafter, hook 32 is engaged with shaft by extension of thespring Set to apply the press to said parts with force, whereby thevalves '15, 1G and 17 are firmly seated, and th shaft 39 actuated by thedepression of the key el-O which in turn closes the valve, or valves,connected with and actuated by the movement of the shaft 39, asdescribed. The extensibility of the pad arms 37 enables the applicationof the press devices 27 and 28 to various sizes of Saxophones in whichthe valve centers mav ary.

I claim as my invention.

1. An attachment for musical wind instruments including tone openingsand valves, comprising an attaching element engageable with port-ions ofthe musical in strument to maintain the attachment in position thereon,and means carried by the attaching element for maintaining the valves ofthe musical instrument in closed position.

2. An attachment for wind musical instruments including tone openingsand normally open valves associated with said openings, comprising anattaching element engage-able with portions of the musical instrumentwhereby to maintain the attachment in position thereon, and resilientmembers engageable with the valves of the musical instrument whereby tomaintain the latter in closed position.

3. An attachment as claimed in claim 2 characterized by the provision ofmeans for resiliently pressing the attaching element to maintain thevalves in closed position.

at. An attachn'ient for wind musical instruments of the type includingtone openings and normally open valves associated therewith, comprisingan attaching elementengageable with portions of the musical instrumentto maintain the attachment in position thereon, and relativelyadjustable valve engaging members adapted to engage and maintain thevalve of the musical instrument in closed position.

5. An attachn'ient as claimed in claim 4 characterized in that theattaching element includes spring means normally acting to resilientlypress the valve engaging members in engagement with the valves.

6. An attachment for wind musical instruments of the type including toneopenings, valves associated with the openings and nger pieces associatedwith the valves whereby to close the latter, comprising an attachingelement engageable with portions of the musical instrument whereby tomain tain the attachment in position thereon, relatively adjustablevalve engaging members carried by the attaching element for engaging andmaintaining the valves of the musical instruments in closed position,and means carried by the attaching element for engaging and operatingcertain of the finger pieces whereby to move the valve associatedtherewith into closed position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 18th day ofFebruary, 1924.

EDlVARD H. BEARDSL-EY.

